With an extensive range of features Runes of Magic prepares to redefine the standard of free-to-play MMO games. Right from the launch Runes of Magic will convey its absorbing story through more than 1.000 quests embedded in an atmospheric world. Players can choose between six main classes. Combined with a secondary class they dispose of 36 individual character classes over all. All characters possess unique skills with impressive combo attacks and can use mounts. A particularly attractive feature for guilds and players is the possibility to arrange their own virtual homes with individual furnishing. Thanks to an extensive crafting and reputation system, thrilling PVP as well as demanding dungeons and boss-monsters, no wishes remain unsatisfied. The Taiwanese developer Runewaker has developed Runes of Magic according to western MMO standards within a time frame of three years. The studio will provide new challenges for players every three to four months with free add-ons and updates.

Dragonfang Ridge Region

Cyclops Stronghold

Once founded as the Cyclops capital, the Cyclops stronghold was attacked and partly destroyed by the Capra from the Sascilia Steppes a few decades ago. Because of that, the size of the Cyclops Stronghold shrank to a small part of the northwestern summit.

After humans started to build settlements close to the stronghold, the Cyclops king succeeded in unifying the tribes and the Cyclops area spread to its current size. To this day the Cyclops are using some of the captured human settlements southwest of the stronghold as breeding farms.

Sergarth Outpost

The Sergarth Outpost is one of the outposts commanded by Bors Ironwall, where the humans were able to block the Cyclops from advancing into the valley. But since the Cyclops were able to advance to Dogamor in the Sascilia Steppes and the Ice Dwarfs are attacking the villages, the contact between Dragonfang Ridge and Winternight Valley was interrupted.

Reinforcements are being held up and one of Bors Ironwalls patrols has lost an important message while they were being attacked. To stop his soldiers from wasting any more valuable resources, Bors Ironwall has begun to let adventurers conduct small military activities, to rebuild the wavering morale of his soldiers.

Lyk

Located at the shores of a lake, Lyk is one of the outposts of Bors Ironwall. Because the outpost can't procure many resources from outside, it has to largely supply itself. This is quite difficult, because Cyclops and Ice Dwarfs are advancing in Dragonfang Ridge, where resources are already scarce. So the acquisition and the fight for resources are dominating the everyday life of the people living here.

Ruins of the Great Gate

Dragonfang Ridge is full of large ruins. The most well-preserved of those ruins is an enormous gate, but today nobody knows the purpose of that enormous stone gate anymore.

Ruins of Mithur

Due to its proximity to the Cyclops Stronghold, this place was destroyed by an attack 30 years ago. According to reports by survivors, Mithur was founded by a powerful mage for his experiments. All the city's inhabitants were mages of his research group. But the mage vanished without a trace during the attack and the researchers that were left behind knew only, that their research was somehow connected to the Rune Throne and the Ruins of the Great Gate.

Rune Throne

This relic got the unusual name of “Rune Throne” from its remarkable circular shape and the centrally aligned flagstones.

Because huge guardians are wandering around, many people think this throne hides an ancient secret.

There is one rune circle at the Rune Throne, the Ruins of Mithur and the Ruins of the Great Gate respectively. These rune circles are essential to open the Large Gate. The mage of Mithur who was studying them at that time, said that opening the gate would bring great dangers and he used powerful magic to seal the rune circles.

When the Cyclops were attacking Mithur, they came here together with the Zurhidon to remove the seals. The removal of the seals led to the awakening of the Ruins Guardians, who in return decimated the intruders. Since that time, the Cyclops never ventured back here.

Marl Outpost & Refugee Camp

Not long after the Cyclops attacks reached Dogamor, the guards of Marl were assigned to the defense of the Zigas Outpost. Just during this period, the weakened settlement on Dragonfang Hill was attacked and destroyed. The refugees from Marl gathered in the surrounding camps and talked among themselves about dreadful monsters. The destruction of Marl spread fear and terror amongst the locals.

Dragonfang Hill

The main communication road between the Kadmos Outpost and Lyk once led through the Dragonfang Hills, but this route was disrupted by attacks of the Ice Dwarfs. Two human settlements located near broken ancient ruins were destroyed during the attacks.

At the moment, only few adventurers are able to travel through this area. Because of that, the displaced residents can frequently be found asking the adventurers to search for goods in the destroyed settlements or to deliver messages to the people of the Kadmos Outpost.

Ice Dwarf Outpost

There once lived Ice Dwarfs in the valleys of Dragonfang Ridge and they were friendly towards the humans.
But since their greed for commodities exhausted the resources in the valleys, they extended their search to the surrounding mountains.

Ice Dwarfs

The Ice Dwarfs once lived deep inside the valleys and caves of Dragonfang Ridge, where they mined for valuable ores. Hidden in the dark corridors of their mines, they had hardly any contact to the outside world and the humans didn't even know they existed. But a short while ago, the Dwarven King gave out the order to expand the search for resources and ore to the surrounding mountains. The first victims of these forays were the human settlements on the Dragonfang Hills.

After attacking these settlements, they met the Marl guards, whose strength they couldn’t determine. So the Dwarfs retreated and constructed fortifications in the nearest valley of Dragonfang Ridge. Because of this, all contacts between Kadmos Tradingpost and the other settlements were disrupted.

In the North the Ice Dwarfs met the Gnolls of the Dragonfang Ice Plain, who were blocking their way. Even after some heavy fighting, the dwarfs couldn't find a way to break through the blockade.

Surrounded by humans and Gnolls, the Dwarven King had to realize that his plans were thwarted for the time being. In his rage, he tyrannized his own people and incited them to ever more violent attacks against the human settlements and errant adventurers.

Snow Mountain Logging Area

Snow Mountain was occupied following an attack of the Ice Dwarfs. Quite recently the humans of Kadmos Tradingpost have recaptured the local felling, but came to regret it very quickly. The reasons for the weak resistance of the dwarfs were the Gnolls. They had pressed the Ice Dwarfs hard with their attacks and now started to plunder the human villages.

Dragonfang Ice Plain

This enormous ice field is full of valuable resources. However the wild Gnolls are attacking everything that moves in this area from their caves on the northern boundary. On top of that, fierce winds are blowing in this region, so nobody wants to live here. Just a few hunters and lumberjacks dare to go into the ice field as far as it is safe. Recently the Gnolls are intensifying their efforts to bring the area under their control. Because of this, traveling through the ice field is a very dangerous endeavor.

Deserted Ice Plain Pasture

There once lived humans in the ice field, who wanted to conduct livestock farming. Due to the degradation of the environmental conditions and the attacks of the Gnolls they soon gave up their plans. The ruins sometimes give shelter for hunters coming by. Since there is a high probability to encounter Gnolls here, this area is extremely dangerous.

Kadmos-Tradingpost

In the past, Kadmos was a prosperous hub for goods, but since the opening of the Harf Tradingpost, noticeably fewer caravans are coming through here. However, the natural resources in the surrounding area are providing the locals with enough to live and they are even generating a small surplus they can sell. At the moment this is a small tradingpost exporting mainly fur and wood.

Features:

• Free2play, no monthly fees, free download
• Dual class system with switchable primary and secondary classes
• Enthralling background story
• Already over 600 quests and level comprehensive quest series on launch
• Instanced and persistent dungeons
• Individually developed skills and spells
• Armor sets with special bonuses
• Dynamic item system: Upgrades with hundreds of runes
• PvP system, to be activated with a PvP flag (Player vs. Player duels, arena combat, ranking system)
• Epic crafting system with the possibility to improve existing items
• Individual coloring of clothes and armor
• Housing: personalization with individual furniture for players and guilds
• Special zones for guild houses
• Reputation system
• Scalable user interface based on the users flavor (development of own add-ons possible)
• In-game map and radar system to find dealers, resources and quests easily
• Auction house: auction and purchase items
• Teleporting possibilities per runes
• Different and unique mounts
• Controlling with mouse (point & click) and keyboard (WASD or arrow keys) possible

MMO fans can find a registration form for the newsletter on the official teaser site.

The German version will come to light even before Christmas 2008, shortly there after an English version will be released.

Frogster Interactive strives to release both the European-English version and the American version at the same time. Concerning the US version Frogster currently looking for a qualified US-Publisher.

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